Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a maintenance device used in a liquid discharge head, a liquid discharge device, and a liquid discharge apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
Currently, image forming apparatuses used to output information in the form of electronic data or copy documents are widely used. Inkjet printers, one type of image forming apparatuses, discharge ink from a nozzle of a liquid discharge head onto recording media to perform printing.
In such inkjet printers, if ink droplets are not discharged from the nozzle for a while, solvent of ink inside the nozzle evaporates, and the ink in the nozzle dries. Then, the viscosity of ink increases, or the meniscus of ink inside the nozzle may be broken. As a result, the nozzle may be clogged, or bubbles may enter the nozzle, and desirable printing is inhibited.
To prevent such inconveniences, for example, a nozzle face is capped to keep the nozzle face and the adjacent area at a constant vapor pressure, thereby inhibiting the ink from drying or the meniscus from being broken.
Additionally, after ink is discharged, scattering ink may adhere to the liquid discharge head or the nozzle face. If the adhering ink is left as it is, the ink dries to solidify. As the dried ink accumulates, solidified ink may hang from the liquid discharge head or the nozzle face, or the nozzle face may become dirty.
If inkjet printers perform printing in such a state, the hanging ink may contact the recording medium or a conveyor such as a conveyance roller, causing defective printing, or the ink solidified on the nozzle faces may hinder discharge of ink droplets.
Accordingly, there are inkjet printers that remove ink adhering to the liquid discharge head or the nozzle face as maintenance.